wally2450
Inquisitive
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2005
- Posts
- 12,353
Tell us about something you deem to be interesting and could be about anything at all. To start, is a story my grandfather told me. He was a locomotive engineer like myself and not easily spooked, but this one got him.
~Hurricane Jackson~
The last twelve miles into Joliet yard are mostly downhill from Frankfort IL. I know because I had to stop a heavy train there and wait until my air brakes were recharged before continuing on. I merely released the locomotive brake and was doing 35MPH on gravity alone a mile down the track with no throttle at all. On to the story: back in the day somewhere in the late sixties or early seventies, grampa was a fireman on a diesel locomotive working from Gary, In (USS Steel) to Joliet yard. Back in the day and these guys were legend, he was working with an engineer affectionatley referred to as 'Hurricane Jackson' which should give you a good clue as it came from his fellow railroaders. He was one of those engineers who regularly made a grand stand stop in front of an interlocking signal (just like a traffic signal at an intersection) and considered it a challenge to see how close he could get. Note:One inch past that signal and it is an automatic 30 day suspension.
On this day he was travelling down the aforementioned downgrade with a heavy train. Just past the signal, there is a split rail derail which will put the engine/train on the ground to prevent an incursion with the opposing right of way. He miscalculated to such a degree that his locomotives ended up a couple of hundred feet off track and into a ComEd substation. A scary thought indeed, at least to me! Grampa got off that job two weeks prior to that incident.
One of my own:
I was called to work with a start time of 10pm. We were assigned 3 2000hp locomotives to operate light from Gary to one of the utility companies just west, gather up 110 coal empties and head west on the main line (45mph) to West Chicago, leave them on the siding and tie onto 110 cars of coal (weighing close to 15,000 tons total and take that train the reverse route to the utilitywhich was all of a twelve hour evolution if everything went right. It was still winter in Feb, March and it started snowing flakes the size of golfballs to such an extent that I could not see the block or 'traffic signals' of the railroad until too close. Top speed for this type of train was 35mph and it does NOT stop easily meaning it takes distance and a heavy application of the air brakes. I was eastbound approaching Dyer interlocking (old Monon) and had a yellow on the approach meaning the interlocking was red which is an absolute stop. I am in dynamic brake which using the electric traction motors mounted above the driving axles produces a retarding force greater than the engine brakes themselves and well in control. As I round the curve, the interlocking which is red, goes green, then red and then green - red again, a sure sign of trouble. I stop the train immediately and the conductor proceeded to the opposing railroad crossline (interlocking). Later that night, I get a call from the FRA or Federal Railroad Administration, god to us asking me what happened and what caused the signal to malfunction. Seem a self propelled rail grinding car with a maintenance of way official on board was illegally being driven by a 'gandy' of M of Way employee who disregard the signal and thus throwing a 'red' in my previously clear path. Disaster was nearly averted as my train would have destroyed that 90 foot car and probably all those aboard. Now that had me shaking a bit for a while which we promptly reported via radio to the Dispatcher in Joliet. Thank goodness I was never involved in a crossing at grade accident with an automobile. An engineer has little control with that much weight but the human cost is never lost on him! Please, do not try to beat the train or it just may be the last attempt at anything in your life!
~Hurricane Jackson~
The last twelve miles into Joliet yard are mostly downhill from Frankfort IL. I know because I had to stop a heavy train there and wait until my air brakes were recharged before continuing on. I merely released the locomotive brake and was doing 35MPH on gravity alone a mile down the track with no throttle at all. On to the story: back in the day somewhere in the late sixties or early seventies, grampa was a fireman on a diesel locomotive working from Gary, In (USS Steel) to Joliet yard. Back in the day and these guys were legend, he was working with an engineer affectionatley referred to as 'Hurricane Jackson' which should give you a good clue as it came from his fellow railroaders. He was one of those engineers who regularly made a grand stand stop in front of an interlocking signal (just like a traffic signal at an intersection) and considered it a challenge to see how close he could get. Note:One inch past that signal and it is an automatic 30 day suspension.
On this day he was travelling down the aforementioned downgrade with a heavy train. Just past the signal, there is a split rail derail which will put the engine/train on the ground to prevent an incursion with the opposing right of way. He miscalculated to such a degree that his locomotives ended up a couple of hundred feet off track and into a ComEd substation. A scary thought indeed, at least to me! Grampa got off that job two weeks prior to that incident.
One of my own:
I was called to work with a start time of 10pm. We were assigned 3 2000hp locomotives to operate light from Gary to one of the utility companies just west, gather up 110 coal empties and head west on the main line (45mph) to West Chicago, leave them on the siding and tie onto 110 cars of coal (weighing close to 15,000 tons total and take that train the reverse route to the utilitywhich was all of a twelve hour evolution if everything went right. It was still winter in Feb, March and it started snowing flakes the size of golfballs to such an extent that I could not see the block or 'traffic signals' of the railroad until too close. Top speed for this type of train was 35mph and it does NOT stop easily meaning it takes distance and a heavy application of the air brakes. I was eastbound approaching Dyer interlocking (old Monon) and had a yellow on the approach meaning the interlocking was red which is an absolute stop. I am in dynamic brake which using the electric traction motors mounted above the driving axles produces a retarding force greater than the engine brakes themselves and well in control. As I round the curve, the interlocking which is red, goes green, then red and then green - red again, a sure sign of trouble. I stop the train immediately and the conductor proceeded to the opposing railroad crossline (interlocking). Later that night, I get a call from the FRA or Federal Railroad Administration, god to us asking me what happened and what caused the signal to malfunction. Seem a self propelled rail grinding car with a maintenance of way official on board was illegally being driven by a 'gandy' of M of Way employee who disregard the signal and thus throwing a 'red' in my previously clear path. Disaster was nearly averted as my train would have destroyed that 90 foot car and probably all those aboard. Now that had me shaking a bit for a while which we promptly reported via radio to the Dispatcher in Joliet. Thank goodness I was never involved in a crossing at grade accident with an automobile. An engineer has little control with that much weight but the human cost is never lost on him! Please, do not try to beat the train or it just may be the last attempt at anything in your life!
